Accessibility-Based Ethics-Aware Transit Design

Explore a 50-minute lecture on accessibility-based ethics-aware transit design presented by Marco Nie from Northwestern University at IPAM's Mathematical Foundations for Equity in Transportation Systems Workshop. Delve into a new strategic transit design methodology that prioritizes accessibility and equity, guided by ethical theories to improve vertical equity. Examine two ethical principles: the utilitarian principle and John Rawls's egalitarian difference principle. Analyze a corridor transit design model that differentiates travelers based on location-based access to opportunities. Discover how ethical principles impact optimal design when transit service is homogeneous along the corridor. Investigate the introduction of spatial supply heterogeneity and its effects on equity-enhancing designs. Compare the equity-enhancing effects of egalitarian design with the potential inequity exacerbation of utilitarian design, especially in areas with uneven spatial distribution of opportunities. Reflect on the usefulness of the difference principle in identifying equity limits within resource constraints. Consider the challenges and trade-offs involved in correcting innate inequality through the difference principle, including potential "discriminatory" interventions and significant losses in total accessibility.